National GeographicLast fall, siblings Kat and Eddy Abraham decided the best birthday gift for their dad involved a couple vials of spit.
“He’s the historian of the family,” Kat says, so the brother and sister duo thought he’d enjoy seeing the results from a genetic ancestry test. Knowing that their father’s side of the family is Lebanese and their mom’s family is, as Kat describes her, “some variety of white Canadian,” they expected the results would show that they are both half Middle Eastern and half European.READ MORE

Ecole Polytechnique Fale de Lausanne via ScienceDailyEPFL biologists and geneticists have uncovered how the circadian clock orchestrates the 24-hour cycle of gene expression by regulating the structure of chromatin, the tightly wound DNA-protein complex of the cell. The work is published in Genes & Development.
The circadian clock is an internal, biological "metronome" that dictates our 24-hour activity pattern. Biologically speaking, the circadian clock determines the synthesizing "rhythm" for a whole range of proteins that are involved in a multitude of biological processes that shift while we sleep or wake.READ MORE

The New York TimesIn 1942, the anthropologist Ashley Montagu published “Man’s Most Dangerous Myth: The Fallacy of Race,” an influential book that argued that race is a social concept with no genetic basis. A classic example often cited is the inconsistent definition of “black.” In the United States, historically, a person is “black” if he has any sub-Saharan African ancestry; in Brazil, a person is not “black” if he is known to have any European ancestry. READ MORE

NewsweekA new report revealed that more than 2,500 cancer cases a week in the United Kingdom could be avoided with lifestyle changes. The findings also help show how lifestyle adjustments can lower the risk for cancer.
The results are part of a study published Friday in the British Journal of Cancer in which scientists studied cancer rates in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom in 2015.READ MORE

Medical News TodayCreated by scientists at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA, the gel was designed to deliver immunotherapy directly to the area from which a cancerous tumor has been surgically removed.
Upon testing the gel on mice during the surgical removal of breast cancer tumors, the scientists found that it not only helped to prevent tumor recurrence at the primary site, but that it also eliminated secondary tumors in the lungs.READ MORE

News-Medical.netA Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine researcher has compiled evidence from more than 100 publications to show how obesity increases risk of 13 different cancers in young adults. The meta-analysis describes how obesity has shifted certain cancers to younger age groups, and intensified cellular mechanisms promoting the diseases.READ MORE

ABC NewsTake two tablets and a selfie? Your doctor's orders may one day include a smartphone video to make sure you took your medicine.
Smartphone apps that monitor pill-taking are now available, and researchers are testing how well they work when medication matters. Experts praise the efficiency, but some say the technology raises privacy and data security concerns.READ MORE

Phys.orgIt's difficult to conceptualize a world where humans could casually manipulate nanoscale objects at will or even control their own biological matter at a cellular level with light. But that is precisely what Yuebing Zheng, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at The University of Texas at Austin, is working toward with his "nanotweezers" — a new tool for handling nanoparticles using light that could create opportunities for innovations in nanotechnology and individual health monitoring.READ MORE

Medical XpressWith their growing use in recent years, genetic tests have received a lot of attention. A new study explored how they are evaluated.
The role of genetic testing in medicine is expanding thanks to its benefits in the prevention, management and treatment of various diseases. Given their rapid development, the assessment of genetic tests' performance is even more crucial for clinical and public health practice.READ MORE

BioPharma DIVEOn January 31, 2018, Noven Pharmaceuticals, the US subsidiary of the Japanese Hisamitsu Pharmaceuticals, announced positive results from their Phase III trial of the transdermal (skin patch) formulation of asenapine, first approved for the treatment of bipolar I and acute schizophrenia in April 2009. This news comes on the heels of another approval of a marketed compound based on a novel mechanism of action, Otsuka’s digital aripiprazole, Abilify MyCite, in November of last year. READ MORE

Medical XpressNorthwestern Medicine scientists have discovered how the process of DNA methylation regulates the development of spinal cord motor neurons, according to a study published in the journal Cell Stem Cell.
DNA methylation, an epigenetic mechanism that determines whether or not a gene is expressed, guides stem cells as they transform from blank slates into specialized cells, according to Evangelos Kiskinis, Ph.D., assistant professor of Neurology in the Division of Neuromuscular Disease and senior author of the study.READ MORE

The ScientistOn a main thoroughfare running along the east side of Cancun, Mexico, sits Hospital Galenia, a small, private facility with crisp, white walls and slick marble floors. On a Friday morning in February, the lobby is quiet, its palm-filled courtyard unoccupied, belying activity in parts unseen, including an emergency room and a maternity ward.READ MORE

Healthcare Finance NewsSeven accountable care organizations have left Next Generation, Medicare's highest-risk program that qualifies as an advanced alternative payment model under MACRA.
In January, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced 58 ACOs had joined Next Gen for 2018, an increase from the estimated 28 that took part during the first year in 2016 and up from 45 participants in 2017.READ MORE

Modern HealthcareThe departure of seven accountable care organizations from CMS' Next Generation ACO Model program will likely not threaten the viability of the program, but the reasons behind the early exit are costing providers millions.
The Accountable Care Coalition of Chesapeake, Allina Health, Fairview Health Services, KentuckyOne Health, Lifeprint ACO, MemorialCare and Sharp HealthCare have left the program for 2018 although they will likely still be on the hook for any losses from the 2017 performance year. READ MORE

BloombergIn tiny Marion, North Carolina, the Buchanans decided that $1,800 a month was too much to pay for health insurance, and are going without it for the first time in their lives.
In Harahan, one bend of the Mississippi River up from New Orleans, the Owenses looked at their doubling insurance premiums and decided no, as well. “We’re not poor people but we can’t afford health insurance,” Mimi Owens said.READ MORE

Health Payer IntelligenceCMS has proposed a new rule that deregulates certain aspects of Medicaid managed care and Medicaid fee-for-service (FFS) programs in order to reduce regulatory burdens at the state level.
The rule would exempt managed care programs from certain reporting requirements and beneficiary access monitoring regulations if a state delivers 85 percent of its Medicaid coverage through managed care.READ MORE

MedPage TodayFDA staff expressed numerous concerns about the safety and efficacy of lofexidine, a novel non-opioid drug intended to treat symptoms of opioid withdrawal, in briefing documents prepared for an advisory committee meeting on Tuesday.
Among them: the drug's trials focused only on short-term use in patients quitting opioids abruptly, raising questions as to whether it would be of any use in other, arguably more common situations including opioid taper.READ MORE

Becker's Hospital ReviewThe FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health plans to expand its digital health pre-certification pilot program by the end of 2018, the center's associate director for digital health Bakul Patel said March 22, according to Regulatory Focus.
Here are three things to know about the announcement, which Mr. Patel made during the Association for the Advancement for Medical Instrumentation's conference in Virginia.READ MORE

NAMCP UPDATES

Seattle Genetics announced an FDA approved label expansion for our lead product/program Adcetris (Brentuximab Vedotin) in combination with chemotherapy for adults with previously untreated stage III or IV classical Hodgkin Lymphoma. Click here for more information.

The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM) and the National Association of Managed Care Physicians (NAMCP) Medical Directors Institute announced today the joint release of their recent study of medical director perspectives on value demonstration and reimbursement for regenerative and advanced therapies. Click here to view the published article about the study.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has finalized a New Technology Ambulatory Payment Classification (APC) for the HeartFlow® FFRct Analysis, a first-of-its-kind non-invasive technology that helps clinicians diagnose and treat patients with suspected coronary artery disease. Under the APC payment system, hospitals enrolled in Medicare that bill CMS for the HeartFlow FFRct Analysis for Medicare patients are eligible for reimbursement effective January 1st, 2018. Please click here to view the full press release.